Capehart on Pope Leo XIV: “How Could I Not Look At This As An Incredible Rebuke To The American President?”
PBS NEWSHOUR: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including the election of the first American pope and his potential impact on U.S. culture and politics, former President Biden’s media tour and Supreme Court justices defending an independent judiciary.
GEOFF BENNETT, PBS NEWSHOUR: So, the election of this new pope, the first American pope, provides a fresh lens to discuss the influence of religion our politics, especially Trumpism. And, David, this might be the first pope with a social media trail, because, before he became Pope Leo, Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on social media. His posts and reposts have been dissected by many, criticized by some of those on the right. And his posts have suggested that he supports protecting immigrants, reducing gun violence, combating climate change, certainly in line with the Gospel, maybe not in line with right-wing politics. What questions, if any, does this really pose for the faithful who also see themselves as being Trump supporters? … Where do you land on this, Jonathan? JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: Well, one, I could not help but think of Pope Leo XIV while reading David’s column in The New York Times. But my immediate thought after saying, oh, my gosh, it’s an American pope, I instantly thought, but looking at it politically to your point, David, I thought, this is kind of – how could I not look at this as an incredible rebuke to the American president? Because here you have an American pope who is as a leader in the world going to go toe to toe with the American president who, from everything we have seen, is the complete opposite of the Holy Father. And so the question then becomes, what do American Catholics do when they have an American pope who speaks the teachings of Jesus Christ, all the things that David was talking about, and yet they have been supporting a man who is antithetical to all of those things? To me, I look forward to Pope Leo XIV, but I really look forward to seeing what American Catholics do in response.
